Last week I talked about warp piqué and weft piqué. How about all the rest of the piqués? So glad you asked! But first, the larger category these fit under. In the Fabric “Looks Like” categorization method I used for the Fabric Resource, these are all among the Woven pattern fabrics: even - geometric - checked. Dobby weave Dobby is a type of decorative weave produced by a special attachment on a loom. The characteristic dobby patterns are small, geometric, straight-edged and regular in their repeat. Dobby is also the name of the attachment which allows additional yarns to be woven into a fabric by controlling the action of a number of harnesses, creating dobby weave fabric. Dobby may also refer to a loom with the dobby attachment. Compare dobby to jacquard weave, which is characterized by large-scale and curving patterns. Dobby weave printed cotton. Piqué A group of fabrics with small, distinct dobby woven designs that appear subtly padded or embossed. Piqué is French for “quilted,” and from the look of their tiny patterns, piqués could have been quilted by mice! The fabrics in this group have distinctly different face and reverse sides. Most are cotton or cotton blends. Uses: Dresses, blouses, sportswear, children’s clothing, draperies Along with all the fabrics below, this is a cotton piqué I'm sure we've all seen our share of white or printed white cotton piqué summer dresses and blouses! The fabric keeps you cooler than some. This is one my previously-solds. Bedford cord In the piqué family but of heavier weight, bedford cord features vertical cords usually padded with stuffer yarns. It may be made of cotton or cotton blends—sometimes wool—or with a wool face and a cotton back. It is asserted that the fabric comes from New Bedford, Massachusetts (it had a thriving late 19th to early 20th century textile industry), hence its name. Uses: Riding habits, uniforms, slacks, suits, coats This cotton example came from an antique pair of trousers. The cords may be much narrower. The looks is like corduroy without the velvety component. Birdseye piqué One of the piqué fabrics, made in cotton or cotton blends and with a small, distinct raised pattern on its face. Birdseye piqué’s pattern is a tiny diamond shape, reminiscent of a bird’s eye. A similar but somewhat larger oval pattern is called bullseye piqué. Also written bird’s-eye piqué, bird’s eye piqué. Uses: Dresses, blouses, sportswear, children’s clothing Bullseye piqué A lot like birdseye, only bigger! Honeycomb Honeycomb is a fabric that resembles a real honeycomb in having raised ridges and hollows. It is related to all the other fabrics with small dobby-woven textures, and is very similar to waffle cloth. This is an example of cotton honeycomb that I found on Etsy (shop seller roxanesheirlooms) Huckaback Dobby woven and with a small textured pattern, huckaback is an absorbent fabric, usually of cotton and in narrow widths ideal for hand towels. It may have a pattern or word (think hotel name) woven into one end. Huckaback’s texture also makes a good ground for embroidery. It is related to all the other fabrics with small dobby-woven textures. Use: Hand towels Here's an example of a hand-embroidered cotton huckaback hand towel, found on Etsy (seller name RoomEnough) Waffle cloth A dobby weave cotton fabric with a small, waffle-like texture of raised squares woven into the material. Waffle cloth is synonymous with waffle piqué, and is related to all the other fabrics with small dobby-woven textures. Cotton piqué waffle cloth (with an undeniably cool print) There's also a group of knits that use similar terms but are not constructed the same way ...just to keep things interesting. Any thoughts on the piqués? Have I piqued your interest?
